Eastern Cornbelt:
Winter weather advisories were in effect for parts of northern Illinois on March 9-10, with forecasts warning of 2-6 inches of snow across the region. A mix of rain and sleet was expected in central Illinois, along with 30 mph winds.
The same weather conditions were expected in Indiana, with snow in the northern counties and rain in central and southern areas of the state. Northern Ohio was bracing for 3-7 inches of snow as the system pushes through, while much of southern and central Michigan was expecting 4-6 inches of accumulation by the end of the week.
“We ended up with all rain out of the event last week, close to two inches worth, so we are a little wet yet,” said one Ohio contact. “No field applications have engaged yet, but it could happen if we dried out. It looks like we are going to get a couple of rain/snow events this weekend, however, so that will keep us out further.”
Western Cornbelt:
Much of Iowa was blanketed with a wet, heavy snow on March 9, with 1-3 inches of accumulation reported in central areas of the state and up to six inches in some northern areas.
A mix of rain and snow also pushed through Nebraska late in the week, with 1-2 inches of snow accumulation expected in some eastern locations. Steady rains were reported across Missouri as the week progressed, with highs topping out in the mid-40s in St. Louis on March 9.
Northern Plains:
Winter weather continued in the Northern Plains during the first days of March, with multiple storms bringing more snow to the region.
A weak system at midweek produced snow flurries in the Twin Cities area and light accumulation in northwestern Minnesota, with periods of heavier snowfall across southern Minnesota as the week progressed.
A winter weather warning was in effect early in the week for parts of central and southern North Dakota, with 5-10 inches of snow reported along with 45 mph winds. Bismarck was blanketed with up to eight inches of snow, pushing the city’s total winter snowfall to more than 80 inches, well above the average of 50.5 inches.
South Dakota also picked up some additional snow during the week, with 2-6 inches reported across western and southern areas of the state early in the week. A bigger system was expected on March 9, with moderate snowfall expected to cause widespread travel issues.
Northeast:
A fast-moving storm dumped up to nine inches of snow in parts of Pennsylvania and New York on March 6. Another system late in the week was expected to bring more snow to Pennsylvania, with 1-3 inches of accumulation in the valleys and 3-6 inches at higher elevations.
Cloudy and windy conditions were reported across New England during the week, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. Rain and snow were in the weekend forecast for parts of the region, however. Maryland posted highs in the 40s and low-50s during the week, with a mix of rain and snow also likely by the weekend.
Spring fieldwork and fertilizer application was starting in some parts of the region, with reports of softening urea and UAN prices. “This week and some of last week we were delivering fertilizer for spring forage and wheat crops,” said one Pennsylvania contact.
Eastern Canada:
Winter kept its grip in Eastern Canada in early March, with multiple snowstorms pushing through the region. Parts of southern Ontario were bracing for another 10-20 cm of snow late in the week, along with 20-40 km/h winds.
The previous weekend brought up to 15-20 cm of snow to Montreal and parts of southern Quebec, with heavy accumulation also reported in the Maritimes. Halifax and Moncton, N.B., were blanketed with more than 20 cm of snow during the first days of March, along with 60-80 km/h winds.
“We still have quite a bit of snow on the ground, as we had a big storm push through here last weekend and calling for more snow tomorrow,” said one Ontario contact on March 9. “Temps are starting to warm up a bit, to a couple degrees above freezing in the day and a few degrees below at night.”